MediSwitch Signs Lancet Deal

Listed IT Group, USKO, has signed a deal with Lancet Laboratories to implement its MediSwitch real-time electronic data switch. Lancet, one of the country`s largest private pathology services, runs about 30 000 blood tests on a daily basis. The integration of MediSwitch will enable it to check patient medical scheme eligibility and to process claims electronically, thus dramatically reducing administration costs to ensure a steady cash flow.

"We have established one hundred patient service centres in Gauteng and we run about a 1000 different blood tests," says Vanessa Engelbrecht, debtors development manager, at Lancet Laboratories. "It is vital to establish a patient`s eligibility within a short period of time because of the volume of tests Lancet deals with on a daily basis."

She says that between 200 and 300 claims are being transferred via MediSwitch per day and the administration cycle is now completed in two days, which guarantees a better cash flow. "The advantage of installing MediSwitch at Lancet is that the system allows for the dispatch of medical aid claims and member eligibility checking through electronic connectivity in real-time," she says. "This process reduces costs and the number of staff needed to handle quantities of paper claims manually."

Engelbrecht adds that MediSwitch acts as a `source` to verify a patient`s information. "The MediSwitch facility allows for the incorporation of a member eligibility check, a mechanism that verifies the status of medical aid members, thus shortening the payment cycle, and in turn, reducing debts."

According to MediSwitch managing director, Rob Abraham, MediSwitch`s partnership with Lancet Laboratories forms part of the company`s strategy to identify and develop niches in the healthcare industry. "USKO has installed MediSwitch throughout the broader spectrum of the healthcare industry, such as pharmacists, general practitioners and dentists and saw a window of opportunity in the pathology arena," he says.

Abraham says that the `switch` guarantees quick and safe transactions. The MediSwitch network is capable of switching more than 100 transactions a second. Transactions are collected in an electronic envelope or file on the originator`s system, and later transmitted in a single operation. He says that MediSwitch acts as the `centre` of all communication between medical aid schemes and Lancet Laboratories. The patient`s information remains confidential as the `electronic envelopes` are never opened, but sent directly to the particular medical aid scheme to process.

With the issue of security being of prime importance to the users of MediSwitch, all access to MediSwitch occurs through a sophisticated firewall, which protects against intrusion, or `hacking` into information transaction data carried across the public Internet, explains Abraham. "Only the data that conforms to the set protocols needed for the operation of the site will be accepted," he says.

Abraham points out that MediSwitch has also ensured the full Y2K compliance of MediSwitch in a bid to safeguard electronic transactions. "Provided that healthcare professionals have ensured the Y2K compliance of their practice management systems, they can rest assured that the switch will guarantee business as usual into the next millennium," he adds.